Heart of Logic
by Exploding Dandelion
Summary: Sleeplessness, shadow creatures, and pits of sourceless anxiety snowball into a decision that could determine more than just Donatello's fate. An unfathomable future that isn't his but he could easily inherit. But what he chooses to sacrifice may trigger something even worse. "Make a choice. Make it count." SAINW-theme inside.
1. In the Shadows

**Author's Note: **

**Hello! It's been quite some time since I posted anything for the fandom, including updates. I apologize to those who follow my other stories! You see, a few months ago I began a new project that I was very excited for, but I was scared of falling into the same pitfalls I tend to do with my other chapter stories. I get to a certain point and lose steam or find myself in the middle of another family crisis (this one has been happening a lot these last eight months). And I didn't want that to happen to this story. Not at all. So I promised myself it wouldn't be released until it was finished. **

**And I'm happy to say it is. **

**It took a lot of work, and there are minor edits needed, but everything is done plot wise. Every chapter written and ready for reading. It's a bit long, but I hope you'll all stick with me. I've worked very hard on this story, and am a bit proud to have it done when it's released, as well as all the thought that's gone into story construction. Reviews for this story would be lovely, and I hope you'll follow along as new chapters are released, on time.**

**This takes place in the 2k12 cartoon, some time after the episode "Enemy of my Enemy" and I recommend watching up to that point to avoid spoilers, although you're free to do otherwise. Chapters will be released weekly unless otherwise stated. The four turtles are the main focus, with Don being the center, although other characters are featured as well. **

**Thank you for reading this long note. I hope you'll enjoy the story, review, favorite, and alert. I admit, reviews especially I love hearing what you, the readers, think, and I ask and hope you'll tell me your thoughts. Anyways, thank you for the support!**

**Edit: Made a mistake while fixing a grammar error and heading for upload! I'm sorry about that!**

* * *

Donatello growled, ducking to escape a kick to the head, and swung his staff into a Foot ninja's side. The man grunted, flying into a collection of garbage cans at the end of the alley with a great crash. Raphael yelled somewhere behind Don, kicking another would be attacker away from Donatello as the ninja charged from the right. Raphael grinned, holding his sais in front of his face and landing three swift jabs on an oncoming opponent's chest and face, stunning him. Don wheeled his staff around, finishing the ninja off by throwing him into the side of an apartment building. But as soon as one stopped moving, five more crawled down the buildings like spiders, dropping down around the two brothers.

"They just keep coming," Donnie said breathlessly, knocking one in the head while Raph sent another to the ground with a punch in the gut.

"Mikey and Leo aren't doing much better down there," Raph muttered, a scowling. "He wants us to retreat."

Raph practically spat the last words out, glaring at one ninja and chuckling darkly at the shrinking mook as he cut him down. Don shook his head at him, following Raph's growing path of destruction to rejoin Mikey and Leo. Donatello side-stepped several punches from the side, jabbing the offenders with his staff and hopping away as they fell to the ground.

"We're doing all right. If they'd just stop coming, we could take 'em."

"I think that's the problem, Raph. Even if we can fight them this easily, they'll overwhelm us with their numbers." Don wiped sweat from his forehead, eyes stinging when some leaked into his eyes. "Not all of us can fight as tirelessly as you."

Raph smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. But maybe if you didn't spend so much time on the computer, you'd last longer."

Don bristled, and one unlucky ninja went flying into a dumpster. "I'll have you know that I design a fair amount of our tools with that computer. And then I have to go and test them for you guys so they don't malfunction when _you_ use them. Not that is stop you from _mis_-using them."

Raphael only rolled his eyes, perking up when he saw a flash of orange and blue. Raph glared when he spotted one ninja preparing a barrage of kunai at Mikey's head, gripping one sai and aiming for the attacker's hand. With one quick throw and scream, the kunai fell to the ground with a clatter and Mikey turned to face his brothers.

"Hey, guys! Oh," Mikey glanced at the twitching man, chuckling, "and thanks, Raph."

"No problem, Mikey. I like knocking these bums down to size."

"It's going to have to wait till later. They're really coming down on us." Leo kicked another to the side, breathing labored. "We need to get going. Don, do you have the smoke bombs?"

"Of course." The brothers huddled together as Donatello pulled one bomb from his belt, and in seconds a cloud of black and purple smoke engulfed the four. They moved as one away from the scene, sticking to the shadows and only appearing when they were several blocks down and in the next alley. They stayed pinned to the brick wall, the shadows shielding them from view as they took several deep breaths. Leo caught their eyes and nodded, pointing down an alley across the street and leading them down.

Don and Raph kept their eyes near the sky, watching in case any more ninja flew down from the rooftops. Leo took a sharp turn into another alley, this one connecting to a series of restaurants where the smell of rotting food mixed with damp, sticky air. Leo finally stepped out of the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck and looking toward his brothers.

"I can't believe how many of them were out tonight." He glared at the ground, hands clenching. "Shredder must be up to something to be putting out so much man power."

"But what? It didn't seem like they were there to do anything but attack us." Donnie leaned against the wall, wrinkling his snout as an acidic stench rose from a nearby dumpster. "I find it odd that neither Fishface or Dogpound showed up. And there was no sign of Karai, either."

"Yeah, just a bunch of nameless Foot." Raph huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "I don't get it."

"I don't know, Raph. I don't think you'd get-" Mikey stopped when Raph rounded on him, eyes burning. Giving him a quick smile, he grabbed Don and yanked him around, using him as a shield. Don growled, glaring at Mikey. Holding his hands up in surrender, Mikey backed away and tilted his head up, sniffing at one garbage can. "You guys smell that? Pizza...with orange slices?"

"Don't even think about it, Mikey," Don said. "It's rotten. You can smell it from the next alley."

"Maybe I can pick off the orange slices?"

"No!"

"Whatever the case," Leo said, raising his voice. "We'll have to watch out the next few days. See if this happens again or if there's anything in the news. Maybe April got something on that blog of hers."

Don smiled, biting his lip and Leo smirked. Face falling at a twisting shadow, Leo's body stiffened. "Or we can find out now, I guess." Reaching for his swords, Leo whipped around and held them out, ready to strike. His brothers flanked him, weapons drawn and eyes alert.

"Come out now! We know you're with the Foot," Leo called, scanning the alley.

"Yeah, you're already in for a beat down," Raph chimed in, "but we might go easy on you if you surrender. _Maybe._" Silence followed, the alley going still. Raph turned to Leo, ready with an insult about paranoia when the shadows shuddered.

An inky black hand sprung from the gloom, grasping at the air before what looked like a head fell out of the darkness. Leo tightened his hold on his blade, eyes widening. The figure seemed to be the shadow itself, flickering in the lights of the buildings and moving like air. More limbs bubbled out of the black, waving like a flame before piecing into the figure standing in front of them. It had no distinguishable features, looking like a human's shadow come alive.

"Dudes, that is so creepy." Mikey huddled closer to Donnie, catching his eye. "What is that?"

"How should I know?" Don couldn't keep the tremor from his voice. His whole body tingled feeling like the creature was watching them despite the lack of eyes.

"Well, you're the scientist," Mikey said, exasperated. "Aren't you supposed to know about these things?"

"Will you quit arguing? We still don't know-"

Before Leonardo could finish, the creature doubled over and snapped back upright, head vibrating like a spring. It brought what looked like hands to its face, dragging its fingers through the skin and ripping it away. It revealed two large, blank white eyes, shaped in perfect circles. Grabbing the skin around the lower half of its face, it tore more skin away, revealing a white, thin oval mouth.

"Okay, seriously, this is like that one movie-"

"Not now, Mikey." Raph cracked his neck, breaking from the group to charge. "I don't know what you are, but this freak show is over."

"No, wait!" Raph ignored Leo and thrust his sai toward the shadow's arm.

And met only air.

"What the-"

Raphael spun around to see the shadow now in front of his brothers, two times bigger and hovering over all of them. He growled, heart kicking into overdrive as he sprinted again, watching Leonardo slash at the creature. The shadow only moved with his swings, flowing like water around the blade and sending a cloud of black mist in the air. Raph hissed as the black smoke hit his eyes, wiping it away.

"We can't hit it," Leo said, swinging fruitlessly at the shadow. "We can't fight it like this."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

Mikey's voice was panicked and his eyes searching. Part of the shadow wrapped around his gut and threw him down the alley in response. Raph's racing heart clogged his throat and he could barely hear Don with the blood rushing in his ears. "We have to hit it when it attacks. That's when it solidifies."

Black surrounded Raphael seconds after Don spoke, but this time someone whispered in his ear. "Red... Red?" It was a strange, harsh and warped sound, like nails scratching concrete. "No, not the red one. Not this one. Blue. He said blue. He said to attack the blue. Worthless."

His eyes widened and he shoved his sai into the shadow, breath blowing out his lungs as it punched his gut at the same moment. It cried out when the sai dug into its black skin, hissing and spitting while it slinked away from Raph. Raphael's head snapped up, eyes finding Leo as he made to charge. "Stay away from that thing, Leo, it's after-"

The shade's body changed again, becoming long and thin as it rose in the air. Its tail fanned out into the alley, spreading more black mist that exploded into the streets, and Raph's stomach lurched out when he heard its rasping voice again. "But why blue? Why-what difference? Why not orange? Why not purple? Why not red?" It shifted with each color, facing each turtle and twisting into impossible angles.

"Raph, get up-" Something wrapped around Raphael's middle, over and over again, squeezing the air from his lungs. He snarled, wriggling in its grip and trying to headbutt it when a head formed near his side.

"Why not you? Why not? What does _he_ offer. What difference?"

"The difference is I'll...knock you..." Raph blinked and gasped, trying to catch his breath. He shook his head, eyes widening when the edges of his vision started fading. He struggled harder, kicking and punching at whatever bit of black he could reach.

"Raph!" Donnie's familiar voice sounded from above and Raph felt the air by his head rush, Don's staff colliding with solidified shadow. "Sorry about this," Donnie said, giving Raph a sad look before taking his staff and jabbing his stomach. Raphael coughed and spluttered, but the shadows screeched and melted away from him. Donnie smiled, but the shadows solidified in seconds, slithering around him and Raphael.

Don moved in front of his older brother, taking a defensive stance and watching as Leo brought a struggling Michelangelo to his feet. "You won't like this, Raph, but we'll be retreating from this fight too."

Raph coughed once more, using the wall to get to his feet. "I think I can live with it."

Don nodded, taking a step back and reaching out to help steady Raphael and shouting when shadows coiled around his arm and squeezed, yanking him up before throwing him to the ground.

"Don!" But the shadows returned to Donatello seconds later, grabbing his feet and dragging him down the alley. Don winced; his arm still burned, but his shell protected him from the gravel of the alley. He glared down at the shadows, grabbing his staff with both hands and aiming a strike at the mass of black around his left leg. A high-pitched wail pierced the air and Don's head rang.

The shadows trembled and the creature's head reappeared. Its wide eyes met Donatello's and Donnie's throat closed, his head feeling light as they stared each other down. Something swept over Don's body like a second skin, and his body shook. He opened his mouth to scream or shout or something, his limbs unmoving, his reflexes shot, and something slithering in the back of his mind.

Raph grabbed him from behind when Don shout ripped through the air, Raph's eyes dark and his mouth twisted into a snarl. He took his sai and rammed it through the top of the creature's head, eliciting another long, sobbing wail. The shadows curled around the imploded head, shuddering and bubbling before it exploded in a puff of black smoke. Inky mist blew down the alleys and streets, burning the turtles' eyes and leaving a fog around them.

Raphael took several deep breaths, hoisting Don's up by his shell and pulling him away as fast as he could. Raph locked eyes with Leo and in moments they were gone, sliding into the nearest manhole and out of sight.

By the time the police arrived only a few puffs of smoke remained, and the incident was linked to a kitchen's malfunctioning stove.

* * *

"Slow down, Raph, we need to check on them." Leo used his free hand to grab Raphael by the shoulder, pulling him back and nodding at Donatello slung around Raph's shoulder. Mikey moaned beside Leo, shaking his head and pulling away.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck filled with cement blocks. Who knew shadows could hit that hard?"

Don shook his head, groaning a bit and gently peeling himself away from Raphael. The other gave him a pointed look and Don waved it off. "I'm okay now. But thanks for the save from before." Raph hesitated to let go of Donatello, doing so only when he was sure Don wouldn't stumble. Don looked down where the shadow had grabbed his arm, glaring at the black residue left behind. He glanced down at his feet, sighing when he saw the same gunk on his legs.

"I don't know what that was about," Raph said, his eyes still on Don. "Why it grabbed you and everything. And what happened to you? You froze up and-" Raph screwed his face and threw his arms up, turning away and leading the turtles down the sewers. Leo and Mikey glanced, wide-eyed, at Donatello, who only shrugged, looking just as confused.

"Talk to him about it when we get back," Leo said after a few seconds, lowering his voice so Raph wouldn't hear. "And what was that thing all about?"

"I'm not really sure." Leo and Don watched as Mikey ran ahead to catch up with Raphael, poking him several times in the arm and head until he got a loud rise out of him. Raph whipped around and tried to catch Mikey in a headlock and the other two watched the chase from a safe distance. "It seemed confused the entire time, like it wasn't sure who to fight. I don't even know what it was. I can try to get a sample from what's on me, but that could take a few days at the least."

"It screamed a few times, too. So it can talk?"

"Yeah. It kept referring to us by our colors," Don touched his headband, "but that's where it started to get confused. I caught a bit of what it said to Raph, but only about it not making a difference about which one of us it was. I'm guessing it meant to attack, but I'm not sure. It was so erratic." Don narrowed his eyes. "And then it talked about a _him_. Which can only mean the person he was working for."

"And the list goes on for that one. What do you think?" Leo's shoulders slumped as they turned a corner. "I have a feeling it's the Shredder."

"Because of the proximity of the attacks or because of your gut?" Leo blinked owlishly at Don and he chuckled in response. "Well, I'm sure that from what we've seen from the Kraang, they could have pulled something like this off. We've know what their mutagen can do. Maybe they've found a way to work with shadows now."

"But who do you think it is?"

Donatello paused, slowing a bit when his mind threw him back to when the shadows grabbed him. The long, hard stare into white, endless eyes unnerved him, and he couldn't shake the chill that spread through his skin. "Shredder," Donnie said eventually, smiling wryly. "Shredder with Kraang tech. And that's coming from my head and my gut."

Leo nodded, sharing a grim look with Don before concern overtook him. He looked Don up and down, biting his lip. "Are you sure you're okay? When Raph pulled you out of there you looked kind of...sick. And pale. That's saying something considering our color."

Don swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It felt weird. I don't know why, but there was a sudden drop in temperature. I couldn't tell if it was the air or my body reacting. And then...I don't know, something happened, but I'm not sure what." Don kept his voice down, watching Mikey and Raph argue back and forth, Mikey now safely out of reach. "It freaked me out, and it started to really squeeze me, like when it choked Raph."

Don narrowed his eyes, fisting his hands. "But I think it had more to do with the situation than anything else." Don made sure to keep his eyes even with Leo's, voice low but firm. "It was an opponent we've never had to deal with before, and I think the stress of so many stimuli got to me. That, and that thing had a pretty good grip."

Leo studied his brother for several long seconds, trying to see cracks or breaks in his explanation. But Donatello held fast, his face blank, his eyes just as searching as Leo's. It was one thing that made Donatello so hard for Leo to read.

Leo glanced ahead, eyes darkening when he saw they were quickly coming up on the lair. He turned back to Don and sighed, nodding. "All right. For now, I'll believe you. But if you start to feel off, or if there's anything you want to talk about, don't hesitate. Okay?"

"Of course." Donatello nodded, smiling a bit. "You're getting better and better at leadership, you know. Just don't let Raph hear me say it."

Leo blinked, cheeks warming. He shook his head, chuckling. "Yeah. We both know how...unforgiving Raph can be."

"And I like my face the way it is. Contrary to what Raphael thinks, I find it rather devilish."

Leo raised an eye ridge. "Devilish? Is that what you're calling it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

They continued like that, Don taking a few unfair shots at the implausibility of _Space Heroes_ as they entered the lair and their father asked them what had happened. And even though Splinter looked concerned and his eyes grew dark, like he'd sensed something strange had happened after their fight, Leo went to bed feeling like Donnie's words were true.

Maybe he was getting good at this.


	2. If Only

**Author's Note: This chapter comes a bit sooner for several reasons. One, to hopefully attract more readers. Two, an apology for the mistake earlier this week. Three, and maybe the most important: my family has been thrown back into crisis mode, thanks to my brother and his...well, it's just a whole lot of drama and I need to help my mom through it. I don't know if I'll be able to update on time next week, so better now than later, right?**

**I'm sorry this chapter isn't as long, but the others will beat this length later on. I wanted to thank everyone for the alerts and favorites and a big thank you to the reviewers. I will be getting back to you soon.**

**Edit: Is anyone else having trouble changing the first chapter's name? I just tried and I can't get the thing to save. I click but save but it just reverts to saying chapter one. It's so frustrating.**

**Edit Two: All right, so I had to delete the chapters in a weird order in to change the chapter title, because it just wouldn't save otherwise. Is anyone else having this problem, or is it just me?**

**Edit Three: No, it's not just me (thank you for telling me) and I really hope they resolve this soon. In the meantime, I will have to be more careful with chapter names.**

**-Edit Four: I briefly uploaded the third chapter, but looking at it, I think I want to look it over one more time and do a bit of extra editing. It will be uploaded sometime tomorrow or Thursday. Sorry for any confusion.**

**Fiction Plane.**

* * *

Michelangelo and Raphael bumped shoulders, clutching their controls and their eyes glued to the television screen. Raph growled as Mikey's mustang blew past his motorcycle again, the bright orange car mocking him as it sped through the pixel cloud of dust. "You're cheating, Mikey. I know you are. You're never this good."

"Oh, are you sure about that, Raphie? Or maybe I was just. Holding. Back." Mikey jammed the stick, chuckling darkly when his car sped further down, ignited by a turbo charge of blue fire bursting from its pipes. Raphael stared, jaw dropping before whirling around at Mikey.

"You were hiding one of those power ups?"

Mikey giggled, hiding behind his hand and rolling his eyes at the ceiling. "I'll never tell. Unless you beg-" Yelp tore from Mikey's mouth as Raph tackled him on the couch, both turtles falling to the floor with hard thuds. Leo looked up from the arcade game he was playing to watch the two roll and scuffle, shaking his head when Mikey cried for mercy.

"You'd think he'd learn," Leo muttered.

"We know better than to expect that from Mikey." Leonardo smiled at Donnie's quip, turning to wish him good morning, only to stop mid-sentence.

Donatello's skin was a paler green than usual and his shoulders were slumped, as if he couldn't quite hold them up. His body sank a bit under its own weight, and Leo noticed how Don leaned slightly on the arcade machine for support. The color in his bloodshot eyes was dull, and Leo felt that if he pulled off Don's headband, he'd see lines or dark circles under his eyes. Worry immediately bubbled in his stomach and he cleared his throat.

"You...feeling all right, Don?"

Donatello blinked after a several second pause, shaking his head and meeting Leo's eyes. They widened for a moment, shifting to the right before Don straightened himself out and put on a smile.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a long night is all. I stayed up too late on one of my projects and I guess it took more out of me than I thought it would." Don rubbed his arm, swallowing.

"More is right." Leo peered closer at Donatello, narrowing his eyes when Don stepped back. "Donnie..."

"Relax, Leo. I'm all right. Just tired. I haven't had much coffee yet. You know how I get when I don't have my coffee. Besides, studies show-"

Leo held up his hand and Donnie stopped, glaring hard but saying nothing. "Don, I'm just worried. I mean, first that fight and now you with getting no sleep? Just...be careful." Leo sighed, crossing his arms and watching as Raphael finally pulled Mikey back up and shoved him onto the couch, demanding a rematch.

"I will, Leo. I promise."

Leo stopped himself from saying, "You've promised not to pull all nighters before but then I find you slumped over your laptop at five in the morning." He didn't want to push Don too hard and keep his brother from opening up to him at all. He'd never be able to help Don if he did. But something about the situation made his throat tighten and he kept glancing at Don while he took over Leo's game.

"Will you be all right for training today?" he asked eventually.

"I'll be fine, Leo." A bit of bite edged into Don's voice and he smashed one of the buttons harder than needed.

"Are you sure? Sensei isn't too forgiving when we start messing up in the dojo. I can already picture him making you do an extra one hundred push-ups for every time you slip or something."

Don shuddered slightly, catching Leo's gaze out of the corner of his eye. "I know you're worried but I can handle this. I just need to pump myself up with a bit more coffee, slog through training, and take a power nap around noon. I'll be fine then."

Leo studied Donatello's unwavering face before he shrugged, caving. "Fine. Fine, if you're okay, I'm okay." Leo stared at Don for a few seconds longer, biting his lip when Donatello missed an easy shot on the machine. "But I'll try to keep sensei's eyes off you, just in case."

Donatello huffed but didn't say anything more, and Leo shook his head. He watched Don's game with a glazed look, gaze switching more to his brother than the actual game. Watching for any more signs of Don's exhaustion, he tried to gauge just how bad Don was feeling. Barking laughter drew Leo's eyes and he caught Mikey pumping his fists in the air. Michelangelo hopped off the couch and started his victory dance, complete with finger pointing and a moon walk. Raphael groaned twisting around so he could look over the back of the couch.

The two locked eyes, Raph slowly shifting his gaze to Don's shell. Raph tilted his head toward Donatello, grumbling at Mikey when he complained about Raph not being a graceful loser and how he needed to watch Mikey's victory dance like a real turtle.

Leo half-shrugged, shaking his head slightly. Raph's brow furrowed, eyes fixed firmly on Donnie as Mikey said gleefully, "Dude, I just kicked your shell _again_. Wanna make it best four outta five, or did you realize you stand no chance against the great Mikey?"

"Hey, Leo, think you can get me another cup of coffee? I left my cup by the sink," Don said, not looking up from the game. Red lights flashed on the screen, highlighting the exhaustion lines on Don's face.

"Sure." Leo pushed himself off the wall and headed for the kitchen, Raph watching his shell the whole walk out.

Don just wondered how he could be on his third pot of coffee and still feel so tired.

* * *

Raphael pushed deeper into the couch, squinting at his comic and struggling to read in the dimly lit living room. His only light came from Donatello's lab as said turtle continued to work on whatever project had come to mind in the early hours of the morning. Raph made sure to stay low on the couch in case Donnie decided to peek look out of the lab. His eyes itched with exhaustion and his body ached, but he was a turtle on a mission.

Donatello had been shaky the first day after the attack, but Raphael had grudgingly expected that. His insides still seethed at the way that creature had managed to grab him in a choke-hold, and that it was Donnie who had to risk his shell to save him. But, as two thirty blinked at him from the clock on the table, he knew Don wasn't back to normal. No, he was still struggling with sleep, still exhausted all day, still fumbling with training, still everything.

And Raph was sick of it.

Tools clanging together in the lab told Raphael to throw his comic on the table and slip into the shadows, hiding near the light switch as Donnie shut down his lab and started toward his room. Donnie moved seamlessly in the dark, knowing the layout by heart from his many late night romps. Raph narrowed his eyes, flicking the switch up.

Light burned both turtles' eyes, but Donnie recovered faster, whipping around in alarm. His purple headband sat like a towel around his neck, and when his eyes found Raph, Don shot his brother a dark look. "What's the big idea sneaking up on a turtle when he's working on something? And shouldn't you be asleep anyway?"

"Funny, Don. I was about to ask you the same thing." Donatello had the decency to look sheepish, but Raph could see the fight surging in his eyes. Raph snorted and crossed his arms, tapping his foot.

"I couldn't sleep, okay? I came out to do something productive. You know, other than sit around the in the dark. Nothing wrong with that. As long as I didn't wake you." His eyes searched Raphael at his, but the turtle didn't say anything, keeping a firm glare on his brother. Donatello's chest swelled and he scowled back. "What, it's not like it's hurting anyone. And if I can't sleep-"

"I am so going to get you back for making me act like _Leo_." Raph held back a smirk at Donnie's widening eyes and the small step back Don took. "First off, yes, it's obviously hurting someone. You, shellbrain. I didn't think I'd be explaining that to the smart one. Aren't you supposed to be the team medic or something? Second, I don't give one flying shuriken if you can't sleep. After seeing you drag your feet around the lair all day, you're gonna get some."

Don gritted his teeth, stepping forward. "Oh, sorry if my minor performance hit is bothering you, Raph. I'll be sure to be all cheery and goofy like Mikey and you can deal with twice the trouble." Raph watched as Don rubbed at his eyes and left temple, breathing hard through his snout.

Raph shook his head, face incredulous. "Minor? You really want to call walking into a wall minor?"

"It only happened once. I don't see why we need to hold onto it," Donatello said, waving it off as his cheeks warmed. "I'm distracted is all."

"By what, Donnie? What's bothering you so much that you can't sleep?"

Don stared at the floor, eyes fixed on the table legs. "Why do you care so much anyway? How is this any different from my other late night working binges?"

Raph growled, fisting his hands. "Why do I care? Maybe because you saved my shell from that thing. Maybe because now you're acting weirder than usual, no matter what you say. I mean, this isn't like you're usual late night crazy inventing runs, because if it was, you'd still be a little normal during the day. And you're not." Raphael stepped closer and closer to Donatello with every word until he was staring right up into his face. "So sorry, I know it's weird for me to do anything when my brother decides to act stupid and not ask anyone for help, but I just figured I owed you one."

"Owed me one..." Donnie muttered the words to himself, looking down and seemingly lost in thought. Raph growled at being ignored, grabbing Don by the shoulder. Raph's eyes widened at the way Don jumped in response, breath hitching and eyes immediately flickering away. Without looking back, Don said, "Raph, there's no owing when it comes to saving family."

"What? That's..."

"And-" Don stopped, taking one more step back from Raph and pressing his hand to his forehead. Raph slowly closed his mouth, deflating as he waited for a response. "I guess... Maybe I am being a little different." Raph closed his eyes for a second, willing the retort back. He opened them again when Donatello chuckled, worry leaking into his gaze when he saw Don's tired smile and how it made the lines around his eyes deepen. After a few seconds, Don stood a little straighter, pulling his headband off his neck and tying it back on.

"I don't really get it either, but I think I'm just a bit weirded out by what happened. I mean, I really haven't seen anything like that shadow creature before. But I guess I should be used to things like that." Don gave Raph another small smile. "I think I'll be all right in another day or two. After I run some tests on that sample we got and distract myself a bit, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll feel like I'm actually doing something about it."

Raphael studied Donatello as the words sank in, biting his lip before shrugging and glancing away. "Fine. You better be. The next time I have to confront you, it'll be with fists, not words."

"I don't doubt it." Don's face scrunched up and Raph tilted his head until Don threw a hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt to hide a yawn. Tears pricked Don's eyes and he let his arms fall loosely at his sides. "And now that we've had a fine family chat, I think I'm ready for bed."

"Good. I hate staying up this late trying to read in the dark. I yawned over twenty times waiting for your sorry shell."

Don huffed, leading them down the hall and toward their rooms. He blinked, perking up and smirking at Raph. "Well, that makes sense. Yawning is actually a mechanism designed to help people stay awake. Not much is known about it, but there are some hypotheses about how it's done. One-"

Raph rolled his eyes but let Don continue, the words easily washing over him. He let his shoulders relax, the tension leaving his body as he waved Don good night and promised death if he had to put his sad shell to bed again.

He fell against the bed and passed out in seconds, unaware that Don didn't sleep for the rest of the night.


	3. One Tiny Thing

**Author's Note: An update! Things have calmed down on the home front and hopefully it'll stay calm too! I wanted to thank everyone for their kind reviews, favs, and such. Your support is much appreciated; it helps me keep on chugging! I will reply to reviews soon if I haven't already. I do want to thank my anonymous reviewer now! I'm glad you've enjoyed this and my other stories, and I'll do my best!**

**I'm a bit nervous about this chapter and how it will be received. I hope it's not too bad or something. I will keep it up this time though, I looked it over, changed a few things, changed things back, and I think it's as ready as it will ever be. Thank you for your patience.**

**Edit: Since the chapter has been out for a while, I will officially be putting what those who watched the 2k3 cartoon have already guessed, into the summary. Yes, this is a SAINW inspired story. I hope that's all right and doesn't turn anyone off to the story. I hope the way the story plays out will show that there are still plenty of surprises and twists waiting. And for those who don't know SAINW, I think you'll like where it goes all the same. I'll be putting a similar announcement in the next chapter's author's note, as not everyone will see this edit. **

**Oh, and 8in8.**

* * *

"Come on, Don. Get it together," he muttered to himself for a third time. He sat on his bed, legs planted firmly on the floor of his quiet room. His eyes itched and body ached despite the lax training Splinter had given the team the last few days. His room remained dark, Don feeling too drained to move and turn the light on. He stared at his leg, taking deep breaths and trying not to look at the clock on the end table. Flashing green digits didn't need to tell him it was too early. He could already feel it in his burning eyes and pounding and tingling head, brought on by exhaustion.

"I don't understand. I went to bed early and everything. Why do I feel so tired?" He buried his face in his hands, breathing for several minutes before chuckling lowly. "I'm talking to myself way too much for my own good."

Shaking his head, Don reached under his bed and pulled out a small metal box, digging inside and pulling out a small bottle of vitamin B-12, a water bottle, and plastic-wrapped muffin. He took a couple of tablets and started absently eating the muffin, eyes drifting lazily around his room. Eyes drooping as he finished his muffin, he fell back on his bed and pulled the covers over himself.

"Maybe I can manage a few more hours of sleep after all." The words barely left his mouth before his mind sank beneath the fatigue and he fell asleep again. But a half-hour in, Donatello began to toss and turn, grabbing the blankets and pulling them closer to his body. He buried his face in the pillow, eyes scrunching up and shoulders hunching. Sweat beaded at his temples and slid down his neck, and jaw clenching in his sleep.

Moaning, he shook his head and kicked, turning on his shell as his chest heaved. His neck arched and with a single gasping breath awoke, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling. Don's mouth hung open as he regained himself, thoughts muddling through his brain as he pushed himself back up. He pressed a hand to his head, grimacing at the sweat and wiping it away as best as he could.

"A dream?" he said, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his right cheek on them. "No...maybe a night terror. But is it normal to enter them," he paused, glancing at his clock and narrowing his eyes, "so quickly? And...and why can't I..."

He stopped and closed his eyes, taking several more deep breaths to calm his racing heart and concentrate on what he might have dreamed of while he was asleep. Only a surge of anxiety rippled through him, cold as it wrapped around his heart. All he could remember was the darkness sleep; no Shredder or Kraang chasing after him, or April rejecting him in crowds of faceless people. Uneasiness bubbled in his throat and left him nauseous, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

"This doesn't make any sense. Night terrors are supposed to be vivid. They should feel like memories, like flashbacks or something. How can I remember nothing?" Don sighed and slid off the bed, his head now throbbing. He stretched his arms above his head, then turned side to side, heading out of his room and creeping toward his lab. Making sure to check the couch for Raph and smiling at an empty couch, he slipped into the lab and switched on the light.

Then stopped in his tracks, eyes sweeping the room.

_Something's off._

Don glanced around, inhaling sharply when he saw his blowtorch back by the workstation while the toaster Raph had thrown a kunai through now sat in the middle of the floor. Breathing uneven, he scooped the remains of the toaster up and stalked over to his workbench, seeing red at the thought of someone going through his lab.

_They know better to come in here, especially when I'm not around! Leo wouldn't, but Raph and Mikey sure would. But why? Why mess with my stuff? Is it payback for-_

Don stopped, stomach boiling when he saw two of his toolboxes out and open, tools spread around them along with black oil and soot stains. A twitch formed behind his right eye and he ground his teeth back and forth, trying not to blow. "Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable expla...nation..."

Donatello trailed off as he examined his workbench further. More black, smeared stains spotted it, but what actually caught his eye was what sat on top.

It looked like an arm, or at least, the very beginnings of a robotic arm. The limb was made of sheared metal, freshly connected by the look of the oddly shaped metal around the joints. He dropped the toaster to the floor, the crash not even registering as he gently picked up the project. He tilted the hand of the arm up for inspection, stomach coiling painfully when he saw that it was a three-fingered hand. Mouth dry, Don shook his head.

"But... But I-this work looks too good. Are-did Raph or- What?" Donatello's eyes searched the arm as if it could provide the answer, his hands trembling slightly. Something in the back of his mind told him to step away, but his legs seemed rooted in the cement. He set the arm back down, eyes catching sight of blueprints and sketches of the same arm. Picking several sheets up, he saw the step-by-step construction of the arm and how it would look once completed: an adult-sized, turtle-shaped left arm, with wires to act as muscles and complete mobility.

Don stared at the work before him, rapidly beating heart shooting into his throat. The handwriting was his unmistakable, hurried but neat, scrawling. The drawings were clean with dark, meaningful lines, like all his finished designs.

But he had no recollection of doing any of it.

"H-how? How could I-I would have remembered..." He trailed off again, breath shaky as he looked at his hands. Setting down the sheets of paper, he brought his fingers to his eyes, turning his hand over to examine every inch of his skin. Just like the workbench, his fingers were coated with now faded black stains, the tips smeared gray from pencil lead. When he brought them to his nose he could smell the oil and a faint hint of pencil. Smoke and sweat. His hands were dirty, proof he had worked on the project recently.

Yet, the memory was gone. Nonexistent. He couldn't remember bringing paper out and sketching the design. Putting the toaster aside, bringing the blowtorch out, handling the metal; gone. Staring at the arm now though, he knew he had done it. Felt it in his gut. And the longer he looked at the arm, the more the uneasiness inside him spread. It tingled up into his chest, coated his shell, dug into his head. He tried to breathe, tried to think of when, but all that came up was last night. That was the only time he could have done it, because he _saw_ the toaster on the bench before going to bed.

Don picked up the arm again, running a finger along the metal as he struggled to put everything together. His brow furrowed and sadness washed over him, suddenly and painfully, like a rock in his heart. He closed his eyes.

_I don't get it. I don't know what happened. How-_

An orange bandana flashed in his mind, and a voice, gruff but somehow familiar, rang in his head, _"So, the turtle with the big brain finally doesn't have all the answers." _

"Donatello?"

Said turtle jumped, startled horribly and hands jerking about. Panic made him tighten his grip and he brought the arm to his chest. _Don't drop it. Whatever you do, don't drop._

_But why?_

"Is everything all right, Donatello? You seem shaken." Don looked around toward Splinter as he walked into the lab. Splinter glanced around the room for a moment, eyes taking in his son's numerous projects before landing back on him. "And what is this?"

Don licked the roof of his mouth, then swathed his tooth gap. He looked down at the arm, chuckling. "Sorry, sensei, I was just thinking hard about something. Guess I just got lost in thought. You scared me." Don avoided the last question, peering up into his father's eyes. Splinter looked at him thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

"Ah... But remember, even when in thought, it is important to remain vigilant. One never knows what could strike, even in one's home," Splinter said, a small smile on his face.

"H-hai, sensei," Don said, too nervous to say anything else. Splinter nodded to the arm in Donatello's hands and Don bowed his head, mind whirring with an answer. "I had some trouble sleeping again. I got a few hours, but I wound up waking up halfway through the night. I came here to think and started this design. It sort of just came to me. I don't know why."

Entirely true, as far as either Don or Splinter was aware. "I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking toward the future. In case something...bad ever happened. I mean, I don't want to think it would, but I made myself curious and everything. I would have made it more our size, but then Mikey would have wanted one and you know."

Mikey's name felt heavier on Donatello's tongue and the ball of sadness sank like lead into Don's stomach. He stared down at the arm, slowly returning it to its place on the bench before meeting Splinter's eyes again. His cheeks warmed, embarrassed by how much he rambled.

"I'm sorry if I woke you, sensei," he finished quietly.

Splinter waved it off, holding his cane with both paws and looking hard at Donatello. "No, my son. I too had trouble with sleep. It seems to be spreading, this uneasiness." Don's chest loosened at his father's words, shoulders relaxing slightly. "But, are you sure you're all right? You look pale, and I know these last few days have been tough for you. Perhaps more rest is in order?"

Donatello shook his head, almost too quickly, and held his hands in front of him. "No, no, it's all right, sensei. I'm okay. Just anxious to find out what those samples are about."

Splinter studied him for several long seconds, eventually resting a paw on Don's shoulder. "All right, Donatello. But perhaps during training a few easier stances are in order. It will be our little secret."

Don smiled, bowing his head. "Yes. Thank you, sensei."

"And how about some coffee? I'm sure we could both use a cup." Splinter turned and led the way out of the lab, Don staying close to the hem of his robes. But Don paused at the doorway, grasping the side of the wall and glancing back into the room. The arm stuck out to his eyes and he bit his lip, wondering why his eyes felt wet.

Shaking his head, he switched off the light and followed his father into the kitchen.

* * *

Mikey blew out a heavy sigh, kicking his feet on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. He had flipped through the channels five times already and nothing was catching his eye. _Space Heroes_ wasn't even on, so he couldn't call Leo and chat him up while his brother's eyes roved the screen. Raphael was in his room, reading in what he dubbed the 'Mikey Free Zone' and Leo was in the training room with Master Splinter.

Flopping facedown onto the couch, Mikey groaned and buried his face deep into the cushions. "I'd even be willing to train. How come it's so slow today?" He beat his head against the couch, pent up energy flowing through him. Training had ended early and had been far from intense. Sensei had kept glancing at Don the whole time, and not too soon after Don fell for the third time, it was promptly called off. Don had slinked away, muttering apologies and wearing such a sad face that even stopped Raph from messing with him.

"What's with Donnie anyway?" Mikey pushed himself back up, a grin stretching across his face. "Wait... April's here. Donnie's here. Which means..." Chuckling to himself, Mikey flew off the couch and down the hallway, tiptoeing as he approached Don's lab. Voices floated from the other side of the door and April's light chuckle was unmistakable. Mikey pressed his hand to his mouth, making kissy noises under his breath. "He is so gonna get it. 'Oh, April, please check out my new toy that Mikey's not allowed to touch ever!'"

Pressing his hand to the door, he gently pressed it open, ducking down as their voices came out more clearly. Mikey took a deep breath, getting ready to shout "No kissing in the lab" when he caught a bit of Don's words:

"...and I don't understand why. I've never done it before. I always, and I mean _always, _know when I'm working on something. I've never sleep walked before, and it shouldn't happen at my age."

_Sleepwalking? Just what are you up to, Don? Don't worry, Mikey-_

"Maybe you're too stressed? I've heard that sleepwalking can happen when someone's under a lot of pressure or even when they've been traumatized." April's explanation made Mikey tilt his head, the orange-banded ninja biting his lip.

"It's possible, but... I don't know. It usually has something to do with the immune system. That's why children sleepwalk more than adults-they're immune system is still developing. The only stressor I can think of _is_ this whole sleep thing."

There was a pause and April said eventually, "And you go to sleep but wake up feeling like you haven't slept at all?" Mikey's mouth parted and he closed his eyes, willing himself to hear better.

Donnie said, "Exactly. I few nights I just gave up and went to work on something, but last night I know I went to bed. I know I went to sleep. But when I woke up, it felt like I hadn't slept at all. And when I went to my lab and-and saw _that_, I just..." Donnie's voice died a bit and Mikey pressed himself closer to the door, straining to hear.

"No, don't be ashamed. It's okay to be scared of something like that. I mean, I don't want you more stressed out, but I can see why you'd feel like that. Doing something and _not_ knowing it, I mean... That doesn't make you a coward, Donnie." April's voice was soothing and Michelangelo found himself nodding with her, arms folded across his chest.

"I just don't know what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I'm starting to worry that it might have to do with that creature that attacked us a few days ago. But when my tests came back, they were inconclusive. And when I went back to the area looking for any more traces or samples, nothing was there." Donnie's voice wavered and Mikey's chest tightened at the tremor he heard in his older brother's voice.

"I-I know this might sound stupid-"

"April, you couldn't say something stupid."

Mikey smiled, making a kiss face as April said, "Thanks, Don. But, I mean, you guys are teenagers, right? Turtle teenagers, but still teenagers. Maybe it's got something to do with that? Like a hormonal imbalance?"

Don's sigh could be heard through the door. "Don't think I haven't considered that. I'd run some tests if I could, but I don't have the equipment, and it might take me too long to reconfigure something here to let me test myself."

Mikey imagined Don running a hand over his face, something he often did when he hit dead ends. Or dealt with him. "I just don't know what to do, April, and it's really starting to get to me. When I woke up and found that thing here, and when I-I thought about what it was for, like I knew but didn't know. I don't know what's going on with me and it's starting to freak me out." The desperation in Don's voice made Mikey's heart ache and he had to force himself to stay on the other side of the door.

"Don..." Another lapse of silence and Mikey figured that April was rubbing Don's shoulder and giving him a hug. Then she said, "If it's really getting this bad, why don't you try talking to your brothers about it? Or sensei? I'm sure they'd be willing to help you out, whatever way they could."

"I've thought about it. After all, sensei even ended training early for me because of how bad I've been doing and how little sleep I've been getting. And Raph even gave me a lecture about getting some rest. So I-I want to tell them..."

"Then why haven't you?" April sounded confused. Mikey could relate.

Don sighed again, his voice sounding weary. "When I look at them lately, or when I think about what's happening, I just start feeling really...really _sad._ My throat closes and when I try to bring it up, my chest hurts. I feel tired just thinking about it, and I-I just get this horrible feeling. Like I shouldn't tell them. Like I _can't_ tell them."

Don's voice broke and Mikey stood up, shaking his head and lightly tapping his foot. Every instinct inside him said to go in there and give Don the biggest hug a turtle could get, but he had to hear this. If Don couldn't tell them, than he had to stay there and hear it this way.

"I can't explain it. I don't even remember the dreams, but they must be about them. I wake up and it feels like I've just fought Dogpound and Fishface, two on one. I'm worried about it, and sometimes I feel scared and sad for no reason and I just-just don't understand it." Don almost shouted the last part, and a crash shot from the room. Heavy breathing came from inside and Mikey brought his hands to his chest, eyes wide.

"I-I'm sorry."

"No, Don, I get it. Or, I think I get it. I just-I'm worried about you too, you know? I want you to be all right. You're important to me."

Mikey could hear Don's gasp and smiled for his brother. _April, you are so awesome._

Mikey easily heard Don's stuttered response. "A-April, thank you. It-it means a lot." A long stretch of silence followed and Mikey almost walked away, but Don spoke again. "April, do you believe in hope? "

The question took Mikey off guard, and if April's brief stuttering was anything to go by, it got her too. "Wha-hope?" Another pause and then, "Yes, I believe in hope, Donnie. I mean, I believe in doing something and staying determined, but hope too. I mean, I hoped that I would meet someone that would help me save my dad, and I met all of you..."

"But we-we haven't'-"

"Not yet." April said the last part forcefully, her words coming out stronger. "Maybe not yet, but I know you will. I know you will because I hope for it. And I hope that I'll be able to help. I hope my dad is safe and I hope that things will turn out okay. I hope that I'll be reunited with him. Just like I hoped for friends that really cared about me, and to get stronger, and so many other things."

April let out a shaky breath. "I know it sounds a little silly, saying it like that, but it's how I feel. If you can hope for something, then you'll work at it too. I mean, if a situation's really hopeless, then why bother trying? I think... I think you need to hope in order to do anything. To change anything."

"April..."

"And you know what? I hope you'll tell your brothers and dad about what's going on." She chuckled a little bit and shuffling followed. "So think about it, okay?"

Mikey looked at the door one last time before tearing himself away. He shifted his feet uncomfortably as he walked away, his cheeks hot, feeling like he heard something he shouldn't have. Worry coiled in his gut and he walked blindly back into the living room, eyes on the floor. He didn't know what to do or say, so he fell back onto the couch and waited for Don and the words.

It took longer than he expected for Don to leave the lab, by which time Mikey started flipping through the channels to busy himself. Mikey glanced over, keeping his head low so Don wouldn't catch his eye. His brow furrowed when he saw Don rubbing his eyes, looking away when Don straightened back up.

"April went home. But she says hi." Don came around the couch, watching the tv as Michelangelo passed channel after channel. Mikey's gaze slid over to his brother, stopping at a random channel as he stared. Don narrowed his eyes at the screen and turned around, tilting his head.

"What's wrong? Finally give up? I didn't think you were interested in-" Donnie stopped when Mikey stood up and walked over to him, the younger turtle wrapping Don in a hug. Mikey's hands pressed hard on Don's shell, his eyes buried in his brother's chest, too short to reach the crook of his neck. Don's eyes widened, mouth parting as he looked at the top of Mikey's head, trying to find the words.

"Mikey? Mikey, what's wrong?"

Mikey closed his eyes, holding tighter. He didn't understand it but he felt scared. Scared for Donnie. Scared that Don wasn't telling him what was wrong, or sensei or Leo or Raph. He wished Don would say something to him, like how he talked with April, but he could feel Donnie's muscles tighten in the hug. Remembered Don's own words about feeling sad and scared when his brothers were near.

It only made him hug Donatello harder.

"Mikey, please tell me what's wrong."

Finally pulling away, Mikey looked Don in the eye and gave him the biggest smile he could muster. "It just felt like you needed a hug."

Don tilted his head, eyes eventually straying to Michelangelo's left arm. Don reached for it without thinking, holding Mikey's upper arm tight and worrying his lip. "Thanks." Don looked down, then back up at Mikey, eyes again on his arm.

"Just-just be careful, okay?" Don's eyes slid back to Mikey's face, eyes scrunching up. Mikey's own eyes widened, heart skipping. He could feel Don's hand trembling, no matter how tightly he held on to Mikey's arm. Don ran his hand over his face, licking his lips. "You-you know I'd always come to save you, right? That'd I'd try as hard as I could? I mean, sometimes I might not always make it, but you know-"

Don stopped himself, eyes lost, lips quivering. Mikey nodded, just as unsure but aching at how frightened Donatello looked. "I know, Don. I know you'd save me."

"Y-Yeah." Don blinked, then blinked again, and Mikey bit back the gasp when he saw Don's eyes welling with tears. Mikey opened his mouth to say something, anything, that would make him stop, but Don let go of Mikey's arm and turned away, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I-I've got to-"

Donatello didn't even finish, rushing out of the room with his hand over his eyes and stumbling into the walls. Michelangelo could only watch, his own eyes starting to burn.


	4. In My Place

**Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for the late posting of this chapter. It'll be a little earlier than Wednesday this week, but next week will be the same weekday with everything permitting.**

**As others have pointed, this is indeed SAINW related. How much so? You'll have to read to find out! I decided to delay telling people as it's more fun to read it out, but at this point it's easier to just do this then to be coy. **

**To those who are unaware of what SAINW well, is, never fear! You actually don't have to know. Reasons why will be revealed later.**

**And Guest-Thank you! I'm glad you're loving the story. I'll do my best! Thank you. *hugs***

**IMPORTANT NEWS: After much thought, I feel I need to take a break from this story and a good portion of the Ninja Turtle fandom itself. I'm sorry for posting oddly so this is updated, but I wanted to let readers know. Details are in my profile and I hope you will go and read it. Here is a quick break down though:**

**I'm feeling burned out and am not having fun writing for TMNT at the moment. My parody is the only exception I am taking a short break (two weeks at least). I'd love it if people still messaged me if we were talking or I'm about to message you. I have also decided to take review requests (even for the TMNT fandom. I just need a break from writing for it).**

**(A small clarification as I wasn't clear. The story is done, but editing is not, so some things still need to be done before release, like proofreading and such. It's on a small break, not being abandoned.).**

**There's a better breakdown in my profile, so please check it out. Thank you for your patience and understanding and I'm sorry if I've disappointed anyone. **

**Thank you all for your patience. Read and enjoy.**

**And: Coldplay. For now, at least.**

* * *

Raph sighed, watching as Donatello and Michelangelo walked together, Mikey calling back that they had to grab some extra gear before they could go off on patrol. Donnie's condition hadn't improved much over the last few days, but now Don was tight-lipped about the whole affair. Mikey was the only one able to get near him, chattering about comic books and video games, bright eyes watching carefully but never prying too much. Leo and Raph stared at their shells as they left, Raphael leaning against the wall as Leo hovered near the subway blockers. Gut twisting, Raph's gaze slid to his brother.

"Leo," Raph said after several seconds of tense silence. Leonardo looked over at him, eyes widening at Raphael's dark expression. "Do you really think we should be going on patrol right now?"

Leo blinked, his brow furrowing as he answered, "You mean Donatello."

"Who else could I mean?" he snapped. Raph shook his head, glancing back down where the other two had disappeared. "I'm all for cracking a few Foot skulls and bashing some droids if we run across them, but should he really be coming with?" Raphael sniffed, rubbing his nose. He couldn't quite meet Leonardo's eye. "Maybe he should just stay here tonight. You've seen him during training and-"

"I know, Raph. I'm worried about him too."

Raph's eyes widened and he threw his arms out. "I never said I was worried. I'm just wondering if it's best to bring him with. I mean, he might slow us down or something," he finished lamely.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Sure, Raph. But, as slow as he's been during training, he's not going to say it outright. And if we try to convince him to stay here, we're going to be spending a huge chunk of patrol arguing back and forth with him."

Raph's chest swelled with a retort but he bit it back. Eventually, he said, "He'd start talking us into the ground, wouldn't he?"

"I don't doubt it. And I know how frustrated you get when he uses words you can't understand." Leo smirked, dodging the fist thrown at his arm.

"Well, what do _you _suggest then, oh fearless, all-knowing leader?"

Leo grinned. "I'm glad you asked. We're going to let him come on patrol. We'll go at our normal pace too. He won't be used to it after the last few lax sessions we've had with sensei. Donnie's stubborn, but he's smart too. He'll know when to call it quits as long as no one else tells him otherwise. If it's his idea, it's the right idea."

Raphael shared his brother's devious smile. "Who knew you could be so sneaky, Leo?"

"A leader has to know his team, in and out." Both boys hushed as Mikey and Donatello returned, strapping their belts around themselves and sporting several more smoke bombs and kunai knives. Nodding to them, Leo headed toward the front of the pack. "All right you guys, let's go." He turned toward Raph and winked before sprinting out of the entrance, leading them toward the nearest manhole and up into the city streets. A gust of wind slammed into the four, blowing the sewer smell away and drying their eyes.

In seconds the city landscape gave way to the shadows of the nearest alley, Leo pointing up toward a fire escape before starting the ascent of the apartment building. The light clang of metal briefly filled the air as they maneuvered the rail before each turtle flipped and leapt onto the roof, each landing smoothly on the concrete surface. Leo cracked his neck and glanced back at his brothers, eyes immediately focusing on Don.

Despite his easy landing, Donatello already had sweat beading on his forehead and was looking down the side of the building as if he were thankful he made it at all. When he realized Leo was looking at him, he straightened up and sent him a little wave, smiling slightly.

Shaking his head, Leo turned north, picking out their path along the winding buildings and alleys before giving directions with his hands. He signaled north three times, right once, and then north twice more, glancing back to see each nod before breaking into a run.

Mikey's incessant chatter quickly filled the otherwise silent run. Whether he couldn't sense the tension or just plain ignored it, Leo wasn't sure. Mikey continued to stay close to Don's side, chuckling and doing his best to draw a response out of Don.

"Mikey, do you really want to be reamed by Leo?" Don muttered, glancing at his brother. Mikey snorted and Leo snapped.

"You should listen to Don, Mikey," Leo said, glaring daggers at his youngest brother. "We're on a _silent_ patrol, not wake up half of New York patrol."

"Yeah, yeah." Mikey waited until Leo turned around to make a face, sticking a finger up his snout and wriggling his other two fingers in Leo's direction. Both Don and Raph chuckled, Leonardo sneering at all of them.

"Seriously, guys, a stealthy ninja is a silent ninja."

"Then why are you still talking?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, pretty sure we're all being silent." Mikey smiled.

Rolling his eyes, Leo took a deep breath and managed to keep quiet, guiding patrol into new silence. Leo kept an eye on Don as they jumped from building to building. He also glanced down the alleys and streets, looking for anything unusual, Kraang or otherwise. Nothing popped out as they went, the air rushing and whistling in each turtles' ears, cold and crisp to the nose and mouth. The chill bit into their skins, but their constant movement kept them warm. Reaching the last building yielded nothing strange, and Leo pointed down into another alley, breaking into a backflip as he led the way down.

He grabbed the railing of another fire escape, stilling his body mid-air and shifting his weight before propelling to another apartment's escape. His brothers followed suit, fluidly moving toward the ground and landing with soft thumps on the street. Donatello fell behind and was last to land, his feet tangling on his last dismount and leaving his landing shaky. Don caught himself from falling over but kept his face hidden, shoulders hunched as he gritted his teeth. Shaking it off, he turned to his brothers and nodded, breathing heavier than before.

Leo and Raph exchanged a glance, Leo avoid Donatello as he waited for Don to catch his breath. He pretended to stretch, looking around when a gleam caught his eye and made every muscle tense. Raph whipped out his sais, catching Leo changing gaze, and soon each turtle had their weapons out.

"Dude, I was kind of hoping we'd keep cruising along." Mikey pouted, kicking some gravel. The moment the words left his mouth, shuriken flew toward the brothers and they scattered, jumping away as the edges embedded into the brick walls.

"You and me both," Donatello mumbled, head whipping up when three Foot ninja popped out from above. Studying their trajectory, he positioned his feet wide and waited until they were moments from landing, quickly sliding out of the way and swinging his staff to hit the closest two in the stomachs. They went careening into some trash cans while the third unsheathed a swords and swung at Don's head. He leaned away, wind rushing his face as he jabbed the ninja in the stomach five times, swinging his own body around to hit the Foot in the back and send him to the ground.

Leo growled as he kicked his own opponent away, moving shell to shell with Raph. "This wasn't what I was hoping for."

"Tell me about it." Raph ducked, grasping the ends of his sais so the edge pointed towards him. Using the blunt ends, He knocked the head of a Foot ninja and the man dropped, bruised and stunned. Raph said, "Donnie looked wiped out as is. Now we need to deal with these creeps?"

"I know, I know." Leo sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "We just need to keep an eye on him."

"Mikey!" Donatello's shout sent the other two's hearts to their throats, both whirling around to see several Foot ninja descend on Michelangelo. Mikey turned, eyes widening as he tried to untangle his nunchaku from the ninja he was fighting. Wire ropes shot down, large hoops at the ends hooking Mikey's wrists and tightening with a sharp tug. Mikey gasped, arms nearly popping when the ninja yanked him up. He yelped, feet dangling helplessly as he was lifted from the ground and pulled toward the top of the buildings, the wire digging into his wrists and cutting off blood flow from his hands.

Leo opened his mouth to order Raphael to send shuriken their way, but Raph was already hopping between the building walls to reach his little brother. "Raph, you won't reach him in time! You need to cut the rope. Donnie-"

But when he looked for Donatello, he was gone too. Leo turned and glanced around, unable to spot his other brother. His heartbeat tripled, eyes searching frantically around him, straying to Raph as he lunged for Mikey, his sais drawn. Both Leo and Raph froze when two of the ninja dropped from the sky and hurtled toward cement. Leo gasped, sprinting toward a dumpster and squeezing himself between it and the wall, grunting as he used his legs to shove it forward and catch the two ninja before they crashed against the concrete. Sweat slid down his arms and face like rain drops, muscles aching from the effort and feeling like jelly when slid off the wall.

Raphael caught Mikey as he fell, the other two ninja unable to hold his weight . Raph grunted when Mikey practically fell in his arms, winding him and making the jump down more difficult. Mikey threw his arms around Raph and thanked him over and over, mumbling about how he wouldn't bug him for a at least week for catching him.

Falling against the wall, Raph peeled Mikey off and looked up. "I caught you, but who the shell took out the ninja-" He stopped when a staff peeked over the edge of the apartment roof, striking a ninja's head and knocking him to the edge. "Never mind."

"Get Donnie," Leo breathed out, drawing their eyes. "He almost-I mean, with these two..." Leo trailed off and Raph had to suppress the surge of pride that threatened to fill his stomach. If he had his way, those creeps would have hit the ground too, but Mikey was nodding at Leo and pulling Raph's arm, so he sighed and let it go.

Climbing up the fire escape, they could both hear the cracks of Donnie's staff as they made contact with the ninja above them, the thuds sounding harder with each hit. "Dude, just stay down," Mikey mumbled, shuddering when Don roared at one who stumbled up and charged. Raph and Mikey peered over the edge of the building just in time to see the last Foot ninja skid across the roof, his uniform tearing as he rolled across the concrete. Donnie cut the air with his staff, glaring hard at the man who struggled to stand up, reaching for his partner when he came to.

"Donnie, stop, they get the point," Raph shouted, flipping onto the roof.

"You saw what they did." Don sneered at the ninja, a fire in his eyes that Raph and Mikey had never seen before. Even as Don stared at the two men in front of him, his eyes dark and intense, they also seemed distant. As if he wasn't all there. "What were you two going to do with Mikey?" He held his staff out and squeezed, the blade shooting out and reflecting the ninjas' faces.

Exchanging glances, the ninja slowly wobbled up, being sure not to move too much with Don's naginata so close to their faces. "It doesn't make sense," one whispered. "I thought it was supposed to be the other? Was it supposed to be like this?"

"Other what?" Donatello's voice was sharp and he edged closer, bringing the blade toward the one who spoke. "What are you talking about? Was this supposed to be a trap? Were using my brother as bait?" Don's voice rose with every word and Raph shook his head, marching up to Don.

"Cool it. We beat them, good and hard, and Mikey's safe. Just drop it."

"How can you ask me to drop it when they were planning something? I bet they were going to try and capture one of us." In one swift movement, Don kicked one ninja to the side and swept the other's feet out from under him. He brought the blade's tip to his face, gritting his teeth. "Does this have anything to do with that shadow creature? You're master was behind that too, wasn't he? Talk. Say something or I-"

"Donnie." Mikey small voice made Donnie jump, eyes swiveling to his little brother as Mikey stepped forward. Raph tensed when he caught sight of Donnie's eyes again, the red of his irises overcoming the brown. "It's okay. I'm okay."

"Mikey-" Raph started, body tensing.

"Relax, Raph. It's Don." Mikey smiled when he said Donatello's name, holding a hand out to Don. "I know you're angry, bro. And I really appreciate you saving me and protecting me this much. Even if I don't need it," he added under his breath, ignoring Raph's snort. "But I think these guys get it, and if they don't, we can just whoop their butts next time." Mikey took several more tentative steps towards Donnie, watching the grip on his weapon tighten and his shoulders hunch.

"But I really don't think we need to question this jerk this way. So the Shredder's up to something. What else is new?" He was barely two feet away from Don now, hesitantly putting a hand on his arm and grinning when Don didn't pull away. "You'll just use that big brain of yours to figure out what's going on. I'm not worried about it. And you shouldn't be either."

Don's body relaxed slightly under Mikey's touch, but he didn't move his staff away. "Sometimes you're not worried when you should be, Mike."

"Sometimes you worry too much. I mean, I know you're super smart and have all these thoughts racing through that brain, but you gotta slow down. Okay?" Mikey squeezed Don's arm and gently pulled Don towards him. "This isn't like you, Donnie. This is Raph. I don't like it when you channel Raph." Donatello's grip slackened and Mikey pushed further. "Come on. Be you again. Think about this. Think about what's going on. You're always telling me to"

Don closed his eyes tight and took several deep breaths, slowly lowering his staff and squeezing it until the blade retracted. Mikey smiled, whipping around at the ninja. "You two should go before Don decides to rough you up some more." The ninja were gone in seconds, one grabbing his partner and slinking back into the shadows.

Mikey put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "That wasn't so bad. Don't know what those two were thinking-Don? Don!" Both Mikey and Raph rushed to Don's side when he dropped his staff and fell to his knees, staring wide-eyed at the ground and staring at his hands. Mikey knelt beside his brother, looking at Raph and tilting his head toward the world below. Raph sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, you're better at feelings stuff anyway." Raph turned and headed down the building, but not before shooting Don a concerned look. Mikey decided _not_ to tease Raph about it later, considering he'd saved his life just a bit ago. He looked back at Donatello, worrying his lip when his brother continued to study his hands.

"Don?" Mikey asked, prodding his head. "Everything okay in there or do you need Doctor Mikey to come in and have a look?" Don slowly closed his hands but didn't meet Mikey's eyes, just staring down at his lap and taking more deep breaths. "Don?" Mikey pressed, losing his humor.

"I'm sorry, Michelangelo." Mikey winced at the use of his full name. No good ever came of that.

"Why are you sorry? You saved me, remember? Unless that's why you're sorry." Mikey chuckled at the last bit, gasping when Don took him by the shoulders and turned Mikey to face him. Don's eyes were wide and alarmed, and Mikey bit his lip again.

"No. I'm not sorry. Don't think that, Mikey. Don't ever think that." Mikey found himself nodding, heart racing at how scared Donatello looked and sounded. He thought back to what his brother had said in the lab and shrank.

"S-sorry, Don. Probably not the best thing to say. But, seriously, don't you be sorry. I mean, c'mon, you kicked some serious butt today. I think sensei would have been impressed."

Donnie's eyes darkened and he released Michelangelo, shaking his head. "No, he wouldn't. He'd be disappointed by how much force I used on those guys. I mean, I threw the other two off the building. I had my naginata in that other one's face. I was _serious_, Mikey. I wanted-wanted to..." He trailed off, running a hand over his face. His shoulders sagged and Mikey shook his head, laying a hand on Don's shoulder.

"When I saw them grab you like that, I freaked out. I thought they were going to hurt you and-and knowing that the Shredder must have some other plan in the works doesn't make me feel any better." Don closed his eyes, body sinking under his words. "I was scared, Mikey. I was scared that they were going to hurt you. More frightened than I should have been. And don't say I didn't overreact. I did. We both know it." Don shot Mikey a sharp look, Mikey poking his index fingers and whistling under his breath.

"What? Me? I wasn't going to say anything like that. Where'd you get that idea?" Mikey stood up when Donatello just gave him a dead stare, holding his hand out and pulling Don up. "You know what, dude? I think you're just tired. I mean, you've been having a pretty rough few days."

"You noticed?" Don asked, huffing a little.

"Of course I noticed," Mikey said, sighing explosively. "It's totally obvious. I mean, come on, how tired are you if you're walking into a wall? And you're surprised I noticed?"

"Great." Don rolled his eyes, but Mikey smiled at Don's brightened expression. "If you noticed, it's pretty bad."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mikey puffed out his cheeks, throwing a light punch at Don's arm. "You making fun of me?"

"It means what you think it means, Mikey. Now let's go. I'm sure they're tired of waiting for this pep talk to finish up." Don led the way to the edge of the roof, stepping on the ledge and looking down at the ground. Mikey came up behind him, bowing and gesturing for Don to go first.

Smiling, Don patted his brother's head, eyes warming when Mikey glanced up at him. Smile falling, Don swallowed and said, "I'm glad you're safe, Mikey. I-I'd do anything to keep it that way."

They were both surprised by his words and Don quickly looked away, coughing into his hand before speeding down the fire escape. Michelangelo watched, waiting until he was sure Don had touched down before descending at a much slower pace.

He mulled over Don's words, slowly realizing how much he meant them.

* * *

Leo walked by the doors of his father's room for the fifteenth time, pausing on the last step before pivoting his heel and heading to the other side of the room. After a few more rounds of restless pacing, he pulled out his swords and eased into a stance. He slashed at at the air, turning in a complete circle and keeping the blade's edge out and ahead of him. As he broke into a downward slash, he glanced at Splinter's room again, brow furrowing. His sword's tip touched the floor and he stood completely straight, taking a deep breath.

"Just go in there and tell him. He'll know what to do." Nodding to himself, Leo moved to do just that, only to stop himself and swing at the air. "And have Don be super mad at me. I mean, Splinter's probably noticed by now anyway. Maybe he's already planning on saying something?"

Leo narrowed his eyes, sheathing his sword and staring at the door. "But what about tonight? Should I mention it? And...and he's been in his room a lot lately too." Leo walked closer to the door, bringing his hand inches from a knock. "But, maybe he's just sleeping right now and he doesn't want to be bothered."

"Geez, Leo, do you always talk to yourself this much?"

Jumping out of his shell, he whipped around and glared at Raph. He couldn't shake how close Raph was to Karai's own words, but quickly pushed the thought away. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just wondering why I could hear an idiot buzzing in the training room. Now I've got my answer." Raph smirked and Leo's face warmed.

"I don't know what your problem is, but please leave me out of it," Leo said, turning away.

"Are you going to tell Master Splinter what happened?"

The question caught Leo off guard but he didn't look around, instead fisting his hands and glaring at his father's door. "What does it matter to you, Raphael?"

"Oh, using my full name. Like that's supposed to scare me." Leo could feel Raph walking behind him, circling him like prey and edging closer with each step. "And it matters because he's my brother too."

"And what would you have me do?"

Raph paused in his steps, eyes widening. He shook himself out of his shock and glared holes into the back of Leo's head. "Not say anything. We can figure this out ourselves. I mean, you're the leader, aren't you? You really want to go running to Splinter every time there's a problem?"

Leo jerked, embarrassment burning hot holes in his cheeks. "I do not do that, Raph! This is a big problem and we might need his help. It's not like Don's opening up to any of us, now is he? What happened...that's just-you saw Don on the way back," he hissed, whirling around and stepping toward Raphael. "He was in shock the whole way back. He didn't say a word and just stuck to Mikey the entire time."

"Well, maybe he'll open up to Mikey, huh smart guy?" Raph closed the gap between them, their foreheads nearly touching as they stared one another down. Both bodies' muscles tightened, fists at the ready, waiting to see who'd throw a punch first. "We all know how good he is with all this feeling crap."

"And maybe that's why he's not talking to _you _about it, Raph. He knows that you'll just get angry and stomp off to throw one of your hissy fits." Leo plowed over Raph before he could get a word in, his eyes flashing. "I get that we can't go to Master Splinter for everything, but he's here and I will go to him about this. It's serious. This whole situation is serious and I think it's officially out of our hands. I don't want anything bad to happen to Don, and I sure as shell don't want to try some botched up plan again. Why not get some advice from sensei? He's got tons of world experience."

"Isn't that just like you, Leo? Gonna play kiss-up? I hope this isn't how you'll handle every situation as leader. It's not like you can come running to Splinter thirty years from now or something. He'd probably be too tired to help you fix your problems anyway. For all we know he won't even be around and it'll be all your-"

Raph didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Leonardo tackled him to the ground, throwing a punch at his face. Raph barely managed to twist his head away, narrowing his eyes from the loud thud that sounded by his ear. He snarled and kicked Leo off, rolling over and slamming into Leo's chest from above. Leo gasped, thrashing around until his elbow hit Raph's skull and left him growling, reaching for his head in pain and giving Leo enough time to escape from underneath him. He turtle-rolled away, popping back up on the other side of the room as Raph stood and cracked his neck.

"If you thought that was all I had in me, you're in for a world of hurt," Raph said, sneering at Leo before ducking down and charging like a bull. Leo took a deep breath, letting the muscles in his body relax and calmly sidestepping Raphael's charge, smirking when he nearly ran into the wall.

"Glad to see your head's good for something after all, Raph. I'll let you know the next time we need a battering ram."

"Just you wait. I'll show you what my fist can do to your face." Both turtles made to charge again, only for a staff to come whipping out of nowhere, hitting Leo and then Raph square in the mid-section. Both boys fell to the ground, clutching their middles and wheezing, and Don stood tall above them.

"What do you two shellbrains think you're doing?" Donatello's eyes positively burned, but he sheathed his staff and held out a hand for each brother just the same. Exchanging one last glare, they each took one of Don's hands and let him pull them up, narrowing their eyes in concern when they felt his hands tremble and saw a shudder run through him.

"Don?" Leo asked hesitantly. "What's-"

"Nothing's wrong." Donatello's answer was too quick and Raph crossed his arms.

"Yeah, we can tell."

"What is going on, you three?" All three turtles jumped as their father walked into the room, sliding his door closed and studying them with a hard eye. Don stepped away from his brothers, shrinking when Splinter's gaze landed on him. Leo glanced back at Don, then his sensei, stepping between the two and holding his hands up.

"It's not Don's fault or something, sensei. He stopped Raph and I from getting out of hand with our sparring." The lie fell easily from Leo's mouth, and the leader wondered if it was because it was partially true, or if it was getting easier to lie to his father.

He hoped it was the former.

"Is this true, Raphael?"

Dread swept over Leo and Don, but Raph shocked them both when he just shrugged and mumbled. "Yeah. I got a little...heated, I guess." Raph used all his willpower to not roll his eyes, crossing his arms and staring determinedly at the other side of the room. Leo's shoulders fell with relief and he turned back to his father.

"All right then. But please try to be quieter. These last few days have been stressful on us all, I believe. Donatello," he said, turning to his tallest son, "perhaps you should be resting?" Splinter stopped, a cough ripping through his chest and leaving him hunched over as the fit tore through him. All three turtles crowded around their father until Donatello swatted Leo and Raph away, glaring at them and mumbling about taking Splinter's air.

"Sensei, are you all right?" Don asked when the coughing finally subsided and Splinter stood straight again. Splinter kept one hand to his temple, skull throbbing painfully. Raph and Leo stepped closer to their father, seeing the pale fur and tired eyes. Donatello kept a hand on Splinter's arm, waiting until his father looked him in the eye before trying again. "Are you sick? Maybe you should be the one resting."

Splinter chuckled, the sound low. Exhausted, even. "I'm all right, Donatello. These last few days...I suppose they have troubled me as well." Splinter stopped himself and Raph and Leo glanced at one another.

"So you are sick?"

"Perhaps." Splinter patted Donatello's arm before gently pulling out of his grip. His eyes swept over his sons, a smile on his face. "You don't need to look so worried. I'm sure it's nothing more than a cold."

"But you were coughing so hard..."

"Then I'll make you a deal, Donatello. I will go to bed if you do the same." Don's eyes widened, but he nodded despite himself, bowing toward Splinter.

"Hai, sensei."

"Good. I will see you three tomorrow morning. I don't think there will be any more training needed for tonight." The boys took their cue to leave, slowly turning their shells and walking out of the room. As they closed the door behind them, they glanced at each other, expressions torn between angry and worried.

Raph's eyes switched to Donnie, and he ground out, "Maybe you should head to bed, like sensei told you?" Donnie narrowed his eyes but Leo stepped in before another fight could break out. He put a hand on Donatello's arm and steered him away from Raph and out into the living room.

"Ignore him. He's just in a bad mood. You know him." Don was silent, even as Leo turned a corner and led him down the hallway that led to his room. Leo was surprised that Don wasn't fighting him over it, but said nothing. "I figure you heard what we were arguing about?" Donnie nodded. "Well, I didn't tell Splinter that time but...I'm really worried about you, Don. You haven't been the same since that fight a while back and it's really starting to affect you."

"I know. I just-I don't want sensei to worry. Especially if he's sick." Don didn't look at him, pausing as they reached his room. He stood at the doorway, hanging on the doorframe and glancing back at Leo. "Thanks for not saying anything."

"Don-"

"It'll get better. I promise. I'll figure this out somehow." Don ran a hand over his face and Leo's chest twinged. Splinter looked tired. Don looked tired. And he had no idea why or what he could do to help them.

"If you're sure. But, if nothing changes, if this keeps up-"

"You'll go to Splinter. I know." Don paused again, staring down at his toes. Leo bit his lip and moved away, stopping when Don asked, "Sensei will be all right too, right Leo?" The way Don's voice said it, how small it sounded and how uncertain, unnerved him. Don rarely talked to him like that anymore, not since they'd been given separate rooms. It wasn't cool or okay to be scared and ask Leo for comfort unless you were Michelangelo.

Leo swallowed, his mouth dry. "I'm sure he's going to be fine, Donnie."

This pause was longer, tenser, louder, and Leo almost looked back. Almost hugged Donatello. Almost grabbed his arm and dragged him back to Splinter to force him to confess that nothing was all right. That neither of them knew what to do.

"...okay. Thanks Leo." The door closed with a small click and Leo was left alone in the silent hallway, where he almost did those things.


End file.
